CFA Level 1 Preparation: Kaplan vs CFA Singapore vs Self-Study

ernestseow

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3rd party guides

Hi all,

I have registered for level 1 june 2014 examination.

Anyone purchased the print version of the curriculum from cfa institute; is quite expensive already considering just the cost of the 6 books itself. Are those curriculum from 3rd party reliable? I saw an exact duplicate from taobao recently: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.37.vx0ddN&id=22099919570

Ernest
 
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xxduckxx

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honestly the use of 3rd party material and official CFAI material is subjective and varies from person to person.. i for one prefer the CFAI material cause its more in depth .. the 3rd party material just gives you the nice need to know stuff but doesn't do much explaining which sometimes act as a hindrance..

the only difference between official and 3rd party material is that the exams will have some material that will only appear in the official material.. it is not alot of questions but maybe 5% of the paper? the reason for this is that the 3rd party materials will give the overview of formulas and stuff (the no. areas) but the CFAI material will give you the background and some general knowledge info like which the 3rd party material will skip cause its not crucial

these additional info wont break your exam but it can serve as a stumbling block.. say your doing your exam and getting a good momentum going but then you hit a question that asks you something you've never seen before

my advice is since you wanna save $$ you can get the fake version (risk is you never know what they "forgot" to print) or 3rd party books and use the e-version which you already have as a reference
 

ernestseow

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honestly the use of 3rd party material and official CFAI material is subjective and varies from person to person.. i for one prefer the CFAI material cause its more in depth .. the 3rd party material just gives you the nice need to know stuff but doesn't do much explaining which sometimes act as a hindrance..

the only difference between official and 3rd party material is that the exams will have some material that will only appear in the official material.. it is not alot of questions but maybe 5% of the paper? the reason for this is that the 3rd party materials will give the overview of formulas and stuff (the no. areas) but the CFAI material will give you the background and some general knowledge info like which the 3rd party material will skip cause its not crucial

these additional info wont break your exam but it can serve as a stumbling block.. say your doing your exam and getting a good momentum going but then you hit a question that asks you something you've never seen before

my advice is since you wanna save $$ you can get the fake version (risk is you never know what they "forgot" to print) or 3rd party books and use the e-version which you already have as a reference

thanks for the reply! I will go for the "fake" version of the 2014 curriulum since is exactly the same as the official print version and the price differential is just too big. Hopefully, the print quality is acceptable. As far as i know, the amount paid for the print version has increased several folds as compared to the 2013 dec intake's.

Ernest
 

lin2013

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CFA level 1 schweser notes, exam questions

Hi guys.

I'll be taking the Dec'13 level 1 exam.

Can anyone advise me on how i can get my hands on the Schweser notes, mock exams and practice questions asap.

Looking for the cheapest method. thanks!
 

lipo99

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Hi all,

I have registered for level 1 june 2014 examination.

Anyone purchased the print version of the curriculum from cfa institute; is quite expensive already considering just the cost of the 6 books itself. Are those curriculum from 3rd party reliable? I saw an exact duplicate from taobao recently: ÌÔ±¦Íø - ÌÔ£¡ÎÒϲ»¶

Ernest

I have seen a fake copy of the book from taobao. Exactly the same exactly the paper used is bad.
 

freeman5js

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CFA LVL 1

Hi guys/ladies

enrolled for june cfa lvl 1


Its a gd decision to get Schweser notes, they r pretty condense and easier to understand

I got my from illegal source haha, cheaper n print is okay. maybe some abit dark but overall for the price is worth it. they got a number of different combos. (pm me if u wan to find out more)

n 1 question: is financial calculator advise for the exam??
not sure to get 1, spend quite an amt for cfa alreadx.
 

chehjin

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Hi guys/ladies

enrolled for june cfa lvl 1


Its a gd decision to get Schweser notes, they r pretty condense and easier to understand

I got my from illegal source haha, cheaper n print is okay. maybe some abit dark but overall for the price is worth it. they got a number of different combos. (pm me if u wan to find out more)

n 1 question: is financial calculator advise for the exam??
not sure to get 1, spend quite an amt for cfa alreadx.

they only allow those 2 brands into the exam hall, you don't buy, then you prepare to do 心算
 

freeman5js

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Buying financial calculator

ah icic . tys tys
so anyone here selling financial calculator?
guess i got to buy, my heart counting not tat power
 

xxduckxx

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go to CFA website and look up the official calculators allowed.. only 2 brands allowed and i think only 4 models in total.. get those early as you need to practice using the different functions for the exam.. dont anyhow bring in any other calculator cause they will confiscate it at the registration counter before you go to your seat..
 

xxduckxx

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why cannot? it is a maths formulae end of day. you just need lots of paper and time to do it lot ;)

err cfa lvl1 is a speed game also.. if you take your time to do the formulas you will have a hard time finishing the paper.. my 2 cents cause a friend of mine thought he damn smart dont want to spend the $50 buying the official calculator and do everything by brain.. end up paying another 1k to retake :)

your $ you decide heh
 

lipo99

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err cfa lvl1 is a speed game also.. if you take your time to do the formulas you will have a hard time finishing the paper.. my 2 cents cause a friend of mine thought he damn smart dont want to spend the $50 buying the official calculator and do everything by brain.. end up paying another 1k to retake :)

your $ you decide heh

Wah ur friend sibei satki. How can he do level 1 without a calculator? Normal calculator not allowed
 

freeman5js

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CFA LVL 1

ha tnk he meant tat pmt can be calculated by tt old sch method. longer way n more time consuming. dun have to use tt financial calculator method.

yep, looking ard to c if any 2nd-hand calculator.. have to buy first hand if i cant get any. any 1 got lobang pm mi hor , tys !
 

lipo99

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ha tnk he meant tat pmt can be calculated by tt old sch method. longer way n more time consuming. dun have to use tt financial calculator method.

yep, looking ard to c if any 2nd-hand calculator.. have to buy first hand if i cant get any. any 1 got lobang pm mi hor , tys !
The summation method. Even if so also need calculator to do multiplication and division
 

xxduckxx

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Wah ur friend sibei satki. How can he do level 1 without a calculator? Normal calculator not allowed

he thought he belly smart lo wanna save $50 .. end up paying another $1k again .. actually hes taking his 3rd try in 2 weeks time ):
 
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